What are the best and worst comic book retcons in Marvel and DC Comics? Look no further than this list.
Simply put, a retcon in a comic book is when you’ve changed a character or a story in order to evolve a character or progress a story. It’s become a regular thing in comic books.
Sometimes it’s a great thing. We can look at Jason Todd as an example of this. When he was Robin, Jason Todd was despised on a level that even villains weren’t. To this day he’s known as the worst Robin of all time. The result was him being voted out of comics and killed by Joker (A Death in the Family). Seventeen years later, he was reborn and better than ever. As the Red Hood, he’s had some of the best development in DC Comics. So much so that people want more of him in movies and were excited to see him make his live-action debut in Titans.
There’s also terrible retcons like Spider-Man and Mephisto (we’ll get into that later). In this article, we’re going to highlight some amazing retcons. There’s also going to be some that make you scratch your head in confusion. Let’s begin with a fan favorite Dark Knight antagonist.
Mr. Freeze never knew Nora (New 52)
Victor Fries is one of the most sympathetic villains in comic book history. His obsession with creating a cure for his wife was honorable. Even Batman gets why he’s doing it. He may not like it, but he understands. Fans gravitated towards him as a person. Now, what if that wasn’t the case? What if Victor Fries was just engrossed with a woman he’s never met? It would make him a much creepier villain. More like the rest of Batman’s rogue’s gallery. It doesn’t just hurt his likability, but it turns him into more of a bad guy than a man of honor.
Comic book retcon rating: Terrible
This change made Victor Fries like every other villain and that’s the problem. The Dark Knight has enough people who want to murder and commit random crimes without reason. Joker, the Court of Owls, etc. Mr. Freeze is supposed to be more like Poison Ivy than Riddler. Someone who may be doing wrong, but for the right reason. Granted, Ivy’s motives are noble on a grander scale.
It’s doubtful that anyone remembers this retcon. This writer wouldn’t be shocked if it wasn’t canon anymore. Either way, it’s not a good change in character.
The Green door
The Hulk has been around since 1962. Since appearing, he’s been the strongest character in Marvel Comics. That’s not to say he hasn’t been defeated, it’s that no one can match his strength. Over the years, the Hulk, Jennifer Walters, and anyone else with Gamma in their bodies has come back to life. There’s never been a clear reason behind it. It kind of just happens. We now have an explanation.
The Gamma powered characters end up in Hell or their version of it. When they get there, they escape through a literal green door. Sometimes they come back without any memory of where they were before. Now, they remember and it’s a weird experience.
Comic book retcon rating: Good
This is one of the best retcons of the last decade or so. In a world of comic books, resurrection isn’t always explained. If it is, it’s not always done well. It’s rare that death is described in such a creative way. We also learn that there’s a connection to life itself (King in Black).
So much came out of the Green Door story. With the Immortal Hulk ended, the Green door theory should continue. It would be cool to see that plane visited again and thoroughly explored, especially after the Hulk yelled at God while in Hell. Al Ewing can certainly make it more horrifying than it’s already been.
Three Jokers
The Joker’s story was a mystery for years. Then, Batman: The Killing Joke was released. We see that Joker wasn’t always a vile, murderous man with an obsession. He was a struggling comedian with a pregnant wife. An unfortunate incident involving some criminals leads to him becoming the Joker. In Batman: Three Jokers, the idea changed.
Batman: Three Jokers gave readers three different versions of the Clown Prince of Crime. One of them killed Jason Todd. The second was serious and it hurt him to laugh. The third was the one who survived (and possibly the comedian from The Killing Joke). Leaving him to be the final and true nemesis to Batman.
Comic book retcon rating: Good
Part of what makes Joker interesting is the mystique. No one knew who he was before he became a lunatic. The only thing for certain is that he was crazy and had a fixation with the Dark Knight. Batman: The Killing Joke took some of that away and somehow managed to add more.
The idea of the surviving Joker means we don’t know which one he is. We don’t even know if he was created by the original or if he is the original. Joker’s back to his old tricks in Joker with James Gordon (written by James Tynion IV). Hopefully it stays like this. Not everything in comic books needs an explanation.
Alfred was hired by adult Bruce Wayne
Alfred Pennyworth became the most important person in Bruce Wayne and Batman’s history. He had an integral part in forming him into being the greatest detective in the world. Alfred would leave books around the Wayne compound and a young Bruce would have to find them. While Bruce was Batman, Alfred was in the Bat-Cave organizing, helping to make sure his son wasn’t hurt. He even dressed up as Batman and went face to face with someone who took out the Justice League. All of this wouldn’t be as important if the original story of Alfred Pennyworth being hired by Bruce as an adult was still intact.
Comic book retcon rating: Great
In Alfred Pennyworth’s first appearance (Batman No. 16), Bruce Wayne was grown and Dick Grayson was already staying at Wayne Manor. This origin takes away from everything that Alfred was to Batman. It actually hurts the relationships he has with Superman and Wonder Woman. The two of them trust Alfred because he was like a father to Bruce. Not just some guy serving a debt.
Then there’s the death of Alfred in Batman: City of Bane. Alfred’s death wouldn’t have meant as much if he was someone they met as an adult. Sure, it would’ve been sad, but not as emotional. Especially with the audio message Alfred left in case of his death.
Winter Soldier (Bucky wasn’t dead)
There used to be a group of comic book characters that fans believed should stay dead. Those characters were Thomas and Martha Wayne, Gwen Stacy, and Bucky Barnes. All of their deaths helped make the lead characters around them better. This is why it was shocking when Bucky Barnes came back decades later.
Bucky didn’t die on the rocket. He ended up being found and brainwashed, given a metal arm, and used as an assassin. Whenever he was needed, his captors would take him out of cryogenic hibernation and send him on missions. Once it was over, he was put back to sleep. That’s how he became the urban legend called the Winter Soldier.
Comic book retcon rating: Perfect
It wasn’t just Captain America that was helped by this retcon. The Winter Soldier’s arrival had an impact on Wolverine as well. This is where we find out that Bucky isn’t the nice and “Gee willikers” character we thought he was. Bucky first met Logan during World War II. We saw that he was a sneaky killer that didn’t take orders from just Captain America. Some of them weren’t things Cap was supposed to know about.
Later in life, in Wolverine: Origins & Endings, we find out that Bucky killed Wolverine’s wife. This leads to Daken being taken from her dead body and raised by Romulus. A crucial time in both Logan and Daken’s relationship.
Cable created Apocalypse
Cable has a connection to En Sabah Nur, a.k.a. Apocalypse, that spans longer than any of the X-Men. In the future, he lived in a world that was in a never-ending war with Apocalypse. Cable would go back and forth through time attempting to find a way to stop Apocalypse from becoming an evil tyrant.
In Cable and Deadpool No. 26 and 27 readers learn something odd- that Cable is, in fact, responsible for making Nur the man we know. Cable’s metal arm (which is infected by the techno-organic virus) gets into En Sabah Nur after he’s shot in the head. Ozymandias brings Nur to a celestial ship where the virus from Cable helped Nur become Apocalypse.
Comic book retcon rating: Weird
This was an odd change. So much so that you don’t hear a lot of comic book fans bring it up. Cable being responsible for Apocalypse added nothing to either of their origins. It was stranger when Cable had a chance to kill him, but left him alive, saying that mutant-kind needed him. You know it’s bad when even Deadpool says something is foolish. It was an interesting story at best and wasn’t anything memorable.
Cyclops and Havok have another brother
Scott and Alexander Summers, a.k.a. Cyclops and Havok, thought they lost their parents in a plane crash. Years later, they find out that their father was captured by aliens and became the Captain of space pirates called the Starjammers. Neither the brother nor their father (Corsair) knew that Corsair’s wife was pregnant and gave birth to a son.
The Shi’ar kept Vulcan alive and he became their servant. Once he escaped, he ended up meeting Charles Xavier and became an X-Man. He was with the team that was sent in before the group in Giant Sized X-Men No. 1. When Cyclops learns that Vulcan was his brother, Xavier erases his mind (more on that in the next slide).
Comic book retcon rating: Good
This was cool and led to a lot of stories involving Vulcan. First, this led to Darwin – someone who was important to the X-Factor series. Vulcan ended up becoming Emperor of the Shi’ar Empire and was part of a war with Black Bolt in the Inhumans (read War of Kings for more on that).
Vulcan isn’t a super popular character. However, he is interesting. He has gone from being misunderstood, to evil, to being part of the new X-Men Red team. Hopefully, we’ll see him continue to evolve. With Storm, Cable, and Abigail Brand in that series, there’s no way that doesn’t happen.
Xavier is a jerk for real
In X-Men No. 168 Kitty Pryde (now Kate Pryde) called Professor Xavier a jerk. She went on to say he’s the, “cruelest, meanest, most heartless man on Earth.” That happened in 1983. Decades later we found out how true that really is.
Over the years, Charles Xavier was harsh, but he wasn’t evil. However, over even more time, readers have learned that Xavier isn’t the kind father figure he was made out to be. Above all, we saw how he erased Cyclops’ mind when the hero discovered that he had a brother. In X-Men: Original Sin, there’s a flashback showcasing how he erased and reprogrammed Logan’s mind because he “needed a weapon.” For someone who says that mental invasion is wrong, he sure seems to do it a lot.
Comic book retcon rating: Amazing
Characters have to grow. Sometimes the growth isn’t positive. That doesn’t make them less interesting. In this case, it made him more so. Xavier could do anything and say that it was for the love of mutants.
In the recent X-Men era (House of X, Powers of X, X-Force, etc), Xavier has been more like Magneto. He’s okay with killing and hiding secrets from the Quiet Council. These are only a couple of the new things he’s done. There have been more and he’ll continue to be a jerk going forward. He’ll just say it’s to keep Krakoa going. At some point, that excuse won’t be enough.
Sentry is really a drug addict
Sentry was the Golden Guardian of good. One of the most powerful and respected superheroes of his time until a mutant named Mastermind erased his existence, using his powers to remove him from the minds of people all over the world. When he returned, he became one of the New Avengers. Apparently, his origin of goodness isn’t what we were made to see.
Originally, readers were told that Robert Reynolds, a.k.a. Sentry, got his powers from a serum a scientist he knew created. In actuality, he was looking for his next score. Reynolds was a drug addict. He was fumbling through a lab looking for something to get him high. He took a serum that made him one of the strongest beings in the universe.
Comic book retcon rating: Good
This became an interesting take on a hero. It helped explain why he is the way he is. He couldn’t control himself as a human and he couldn’t as a hero. The Void (one of his three personalities) frequently came out and took over for Sentry. When that happened, carnage usually followed. And when Robert was controlling the Sentry, he ran away at the first sight of trouble. Making him as flawed as he is powerful.
Moira is a mutant
In 2019, Jonathan Hickman created the greatest times for X-Men fans. He gave them their own island nation on the living island of Krakoa. Krakoa became a place where they could live and be free to be themselves. If it wasn’t for Moira MacTaggert, none of this would have been possible.
In House of X No. 2, readers learn that Dr. Moira MacTaggert was a mutant all along. Whenever Moira dies, she’s born again with all of the knowledge she had in her previous life. In her most recent life, she helped Magento and Charles Xavier create the mutant safe haven they’ve always needed.
Comic book retcon rating: Amazing
Moira helping create Krakoa led to more than a new home for mutants. It created a ton of new and interesting stories. At first, Moira was content with being behind the scenes. Little did Xavier and Magneto know, she was plotting to get rid of the mutant gene. It causes her death and resurrection as a robot, making her another enemy for mutants (read X Deaths of Wolverine for more on that).
If Moira’s retcon wasn’t handled right, it could have been a disaster, becoming yet another change that ends with harsh and warranted criticism. Instead, the new age of the X-Men has been one of the greatest in comic books.
One More Day
J. Michael Straczynski’s run of Amazing Spider-Man is looked at as one of the best in the Wall-Crawler’s history. Considering how important he is to comic books and everything Peter Parker has gone through, that’s saying a lot.
Straczynski’s run ends after Marvel Comics’ Civil War when Aunt May is shot by an assassin hired by Wilson Fisk to kill Peter. This results in Peter doing everything he can to find a way to help her. In the end, it was a deal Mary Jane Watson made with Mephisto that saved Aunt May. That agreement ended the marriage between MJ and Peter and destroyed over two decades of continuity.
Comic book retcon rating: Awful
If you find anyone that likes this story, it would be shocking. One More Day destroyed years worth of Spider-Man stories. The most important part of that was his life with MJ. Not being married to Mary Jane Watson ruined one of the best relationships in comic books and caused ripples throughout Marvel Comics.
A lot of Spider-Man fans jumped ship after this series. Thankfully, Dan Slott is an amazing writer (no pun intended). His stories were so good that it helped bring people back into the Amazing Spider-Man comic books. If not for him, this could have been devastating for Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man comics.
The Totem or the radiation
Peter Parker getting his powers from a spider bite is one of the most iconic stories in comic books. So much so that people who don’t read comics know about it. Marvel Studios didn’t even show it in any of the MCU Spider-Man movies because it wasn’t needed. However, J. Michael Straczynski’s Amazing Spider-Man: Coming Home added a new twist to this story as it created the totem theory for Spider-Man.
Peter meets another person with his powers named Ezekiel, who explained to him that his powers didn’t come from the radiation. The spider bite was intentional. The spider that gave Peter his powers was looking for him. He was chosen to be the Spider in this universe.
Comic book retcon rating: Spectacular
Everything about this made sense. Spider-Man getting powers from a radioactive spider worked in the earlier days of comics, but it was time for an upgrade. This was perfect. The explanation helped Peter understand why his villains are animal themed. It also went on to explain why they hate him so much.
Ezekiel told Peter that he’s the real deal and his animal based villains are just pretenders. It also opened the door for big time villains Morlun and the Inheritors. They’re so good that Marvel Studios should go with them in future Spider-Man films in the MCU.
Franklin Richards isn’t a mutant
Franklin Richards’ power level was greater than almost anyone in comic books. We see how powerful throughout his life. The most recent example was helping the Fantastic Four recreate new universes after Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars in 2015. For years, Franklin’s powers came from being a mutant. That was changed in the Fantastic Four run written by Dan Slott.
When Franklin Richards used the last of his powers (Fantastic Four No. 25), he ran to a Krakoan gate. He thought that they could help him regain his abilities. When he gets to the gate, however, he isn’t allowed in. In the next issue, Charles Xavier explains that Franklin’s powers made Cerebro think that he was a mutant but that wasn’t the case.
Comic book retcon rating: Good
Initially, this writer was against this change. It didn’t seem necessary. As time has gone on, it made sense – another reason why it’s good to wait before judging things, especially when it comes to the great Dan Slott.
Franklin Richards felt out of place. His parents and uncles (Ben and Johnny) have powers and his sister was a genius. Franklin felt like he didn’t add anything to the team. Not being a mutant made him feel even more alone. What made this good was watching Franklin adjust. He’s been finding more creative ways to help his family save the universe. Standing ovation to Dan Slott for this change.
Quicksilver and Wanda aren’t Magneto’s kids
There aren’t many comic books that this writer won’t go back and read. A lot of times, things work better when they’re read all at once instead of weekly or monthly. It’s good to give stories a second chance. Then there’s Marvel Axis. A story that came out in 2014 and this writer still refuses to go back and read it. The story itself wasn’t good, but there was one big tragedy that came out of this. Magneto finds out that Wanda Maximoff and Quicksilver aren’t his children.
Comic book retcon rating: Awful
There was no reason for this change. A moment that was supposed to break Magneto down leads to nothing. Wanda still looks as Magneto as her father (read X-Men: Inferno or X-Men: Hellfire Gala for more on that) and he is still her father.
It has helped expand Wanda’s origin in the comics (read Scarlet Witch for more on that). However, it’s done zero for her brother Pietro. So, in the grand scheme of things, this was pointless. It’s no wonder why this comic book isn’t talked about and that most writers seem to act like it didn’t happen.
What do you think, readers? Are there other retcons that should’ve been mentioned? Let us know in the comments below.